Lady&#39;s foundation garment



March 5, 1957 A. STONE ET AL LAoY's FOUNDATION GARMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 001,-. 5, 1956 INVENTORS ALFRED STONE Ausx ROSENBERG BY/ULJUJ HILLMAN fle {M ATTORNEYS March 5, 1957 A. STONE ET AL LADYS FOUNDATION GARMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 5. 1956' ULI U5 HILL/WAN ATTORNEYS United States Patent 6 LADYS FOUNDATION GARMENT Alfred Stone, New York, Alex Rosenberg, Long Beach, and Julius Hillman, Bellrose Manor, N. Y.

Application October 5, 1956, Serial No. 614,099

Claims. (Cl. 2-38) The present invention relates to ladies hip encompassing garments, more particularly known as foundation garments or girdles.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a girdle of simple and relatively inexpensive construction, which is donned with great facility and without pull, tug or strain, which conforms to and shapes the body of the wearer with the avoidance of ungainly bulges or wrinkles, and yet affords the necessary yield for comfort in walking, sitting, bending and stretching of the wearer and which affords firm stomach support without the need for bones or stays for the latter purpose, even for large women, and is substantially proof against wrinkling or creasing on the wearer or against rolling at the top under even the most severe contortions in wear.

According to the invention, in its most desirable embodiments, the girdle comprises an open-ended hip-encircling band having three major elements, a main structure made up of one or more panel sections, a substantial portion of which is desirably of webbing, elastic both longitudinally and transversely to cover the back and sides of the wearer, and end panel structures to be connected together in taut superposed relation over the stomach, desirably one and preferably both of which end panels are of substantially non-elastic fabric. The upper edges of the end panels of the flatly extended garment slope downward at an angle of approximately 30. Stitched along substantially the entire length of the main panel structure and the downwardly sloping upper edges of the end panel structures is a wide upper marginal strip, elastic lengthwise of the girdle and substantially inelastic along its width. Distributed along the outer edge of the inner end panel are spaced inner pre-fasteners, desirably eyes, the complementary elements of which fasteners, desirably hooks, are arranged along the length of the root of the outer end panel to permit ready hooking of the girdle in place. The outer securing means of the girdle is a slide fastener comprising two complementary slide fastener tapes. One of the slide fastener tapes extends along the root end of the inner end panel, the complementary slide fastener tape extending along the outer edge of the somewhat narrower outer end panel, so that when the slide fastener is closed, the end panels are in taut overlapping relation over the abdominal region for stomach supporting and flattening engagement, and the strain on the prefasteners is somewhat relieved.

In the accompanying drawings in which are shown one or more of various embodiments of the several features of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the girdle in wear,

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the girdle partly closed, with the outer end panel in open position,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the inner face of the girdle, laid out fiat, and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the pattern of the various panel elements of the garment.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, the girdle comprises a main girdle element for engaging hip dimensions.

the back and sides of the wearer which element may be and preferably is a unitary piece of webbing, elastic both longitudinally and transversely.

Connected by a line of stitching 11 to one end of panel 10 is an inner end panel 12 which is to be laid over the stomach of the wearer. Similarly, stitched at 13 to the opposite end edge of the main panel 10 is another or outer end panel 14 which is to be superposed over the inner end panel 12.

The main panel 10 is desirably curved convexly at 10', as shown in Fig. 4, along the length of the lower edge and is slightly bifurcated at 15 at the middle of its upper edge, the upper edge at opposite sides of the bifurcation being convex as at 16. The end panels are preferably not of equal width, the outer end panel 14 being somewhat narrower than the inner end panel 12. The lower edges 12' of the end panels slope upwardly, as shown in continuation of the convexity 10' at the lower edge of the main panel 10. The upper edge of each end panel 12, 14 slopes downwardly at 17 in continuation of the convexity at the upper edge of the main panel 10.

The outer end panel 14 is preferably of strong, substantially inelastic fabric, desirably nylon, broadcloth, rayon or cotton, preferably cut on a bias as indicated at 18, in the order of 20 degrees, with respect to the length of the weave 19 of the main panel for wrinkle-free adaptation'to the bulge of the stomach and for a flattening action thereat. The inner end panel 12 may be of the same fabric and the same bias arrangement as the outer end panel 14 to enhance the wrinkle-free flattening effect in wear.

Stitched as at 21 for the entire length of the main panel 10 along the convexity of its upper edge 16 and along the entire lengths of the sloping upper edges 17 of end panels 12 and 14 is an upper marginal strip 20. Strip 20 is elastic lengthwise thereof or circumferentially of the girdle and is substantially inelastic along its width and readily conforms to the convexity and slope of the upper edges 16 and 17, as shown. The upper marginal strip 20 is preferably of width in the order of 2 /2 inches and desirably has two or more stiffener strips 22 across its width which may be permanently enclosed in corresponding cover sheaths 23 stitched to the marginal strip as shown.

Preferably a narrow strip of longitudinally elastic tape 40 is stitched zigzag, as at 41, to the length of the upper edge of main panel 10, and the line of stitching 21 connect the strip 20 to both said tape 40 and the main panel 20, for enhanced security, without loss of elasticity.

A lower marginal strip 24 extends along the entire curved and upwardly sloping lengths of the main and end panels respectively, and is stitched at 25 in place in the same manner as the upper marginal strip 20 and has afiixed thereto the conventional garter straps 26.

The girdle has two sets of fasteners, an inner set for pre-adjusting the garment to the body (briefly designated pre-fastener) and an outer set for applying the main securing and tightening force for releasably retaining the garment in its snug form-fitting position, in which the tension on the pre-fastener or inner set of fasteners is relieved to some extent. The fasteners will now be described.

Stitched along the girdle band near the outer extremity of the inner end panel 12, and extending outwardly therebeyond as shown, is a non-elastic tape 28 which extends the entire height of the garment and which carries a sequence of spaced fastener elements 1" and in a preferred embodiment carries two sets of such elements 29 and 30, the sets being spaced from each other desirably by about /2 inch for adaptation to somewhat different end panel 14 is stitched, as at 31, a tape 32 mounting the Along the rootof the other or outer 3; fastenersf complementary. to fasteners In the case of hook and eye fasteners which are generally preferred as shown, the hook carrying'tape 32 extends from the upper edge of the lower marginal strip to slightly above the lower edge of the upper marginal strip, as" shown, since the garment is considerably wider at the root than at the free ends of the end panels 12' and 14, so that the hooks can readily be engaged with the corresponding eyes of one or the other set 29 or 30, as may be desired or required, these eyes being distributed along the entire height of the free end of the end panel 12 which issubstantially shorter than the root end of the other end panel where the complementary hooks f are positioned.

Stitched near the root end of the inner end panel 12 and extending from the upper border of t he lower marginal strip 24 to substantially midway of thewidth of the upper marginal strip 20 is a slide fastener tape 35 stitched in place at 11, desirably in the sameoperation as the attachment of the end panel 12 to the main panel 10. The complementary slide fastener tape 36 is stitched at 37 to the outer extremity of the outer end panel 14 and desirably extends the entire height thereof from the lower edge of the garment to near its upper edge, part of the width of the tape protruding laterally outward from the end panel. The slide S of the fastener is conventional and is blocked from separation by an endguard 38. The slide is readily engaged with the companion slide fastener for interlocking the fastener cups of'the two slide fastener tapes 35 and 36 in conventional manner.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the girdle is readily wrapped around the hips of the wearer and the pre-fasteners are readily closed. More particularly the hooks f are easily engaged with the corresponding eyes f of one or the other set 29 or 30 as desired or required, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. Thereupon the outer panel 14, as showndetached in Fig. 2, is superposed over the inner end panel 12, the slide S on tape 36 is engaged with the complementary slide fastener tape 35, and the slide is drawn upward to close the slide fastener, as best shown in Fig. l.

The main strain of the garment will be exerted on the outer or slide fastener 35, 36, the inner or hook and eye fasteners, serving largely for facility in donning of the garment and the accurate positioning of the end'panels to be superposed. This action is accomplished by reason of the somewhat lesser width of the outer end panel 14 as compared to the end panel 12 and the ruggedness and continuity of the slide fastener 35, 36. 1

By reason of the elasticity, longitudinally and transversely, of the main panel of the garment, the garment will, under the tension maintained thereon by the closed slide fastener 35, 36, readily conform to and smooth out the body, without wrinkles or bulges. The ends of the upper marginal strip 20 are superposed at a substantial downward angle relatve to each other, asshown, and the superposed end panels by reason of the bias arrangement of one, and preferably of both the superposed panels over the abdominal region will flatten and support the stomach.

The garment, by reason of the elasticity, longitudinally and transversely of the main panel, will readily stretch to permit walking, striding,'sitting, bending and stretching without undue strain or discomfort. The upper marginal strip 20 will be kept flat by itstransverse stiffeners 22 at the rear portion thereof and will not roll at the superposed front sections, even though the wearer bend sharply and frequently, since the longitudinally elastic obliquely overlapping upper end portions of the-marginal strip 20 will be securely pressed against the body.

By reason of the "elasticityof the garment ,at various regions, and especially of'the' upper and lower longitu v strips against the body to prevent displacement in wear even under severe bodily exertion, all with enhanced comfort and minimum binding effect.

Another feature of the garment is that the wearer may in the privacy of her home, obtain additional comfort by completely opening the slide fastener and the girdle will still stay in place substantially as shown in Fig. 2, being retained only by the inner or book and eye prefasteners, with the outer end panel 14 hanging free, as shown in Fig. 2. a

It will be understood that if desired, the main panel, instead of being made of a single piece of elastic webbing, could be made of two or more pieces of fabric, laterally stitched together, the major area of the composite main panel being elastic, both longitudinally and transversely, while the rest of such composite panel may, if desired, be non-elastic or elastic only longitudinally and relatively non-elastic transversely.

It will also be understood that of the superposed end panels, the inner end panel, may if desired be of fabric elastic transversely and only the outer end panel be of non-elastic fabric or vice versa.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A ladys girdle comprising a hip encompassing openended band having a main panel structure of fabric, elastic both longitudinally and transversely, for the major portion of its length and width, end panels having their root ends secured to the opposite ends of said main panel structure, said end panels to be overlapped over the abdominal region of the wearer, individual spaced prefasteners distributed longitudinally of the height of the inner of the overlappable end panels and near the free edge thereof, complementary individual fasteners distributed along the height of the root end of the outer end panel, and a slide fastener comprising slide fastener tapes respectively at the free edge of the outer end panel and near the root end of the inner end panel.

2. The combination recited in claim 1, in which at least one of the end panels is of substantially non-elastic fabric.

3. The combination recited in claiml, in which each of the superposed end panels is of substantial inelastic woven fabric on a bias in the order of 20 degrees.

4. The combination recited in claim 1, in which the inner end panel which is held closed by the pre-fasteners is of length peripherally of the girdle somewhat greater than the outer end panel which is held closed by the slide fastener.

5. A ladys girdle comprising a hip encircling open band having a main back and side covering panel of webbing, elastic both longitudinally and transversely thereof, consisting of an inner and an outer panel to be overlapped over the abdominal region of the wearer, said end panels being of substantially inelastic fabric cut on a bias in the order of 20 degrees and sloping downwardly and outwardly at their upper edges, an upper marginal strip dinally elasticstrips, and by reason of the adaptation of the upper marginal stripto the convexity of the upper I edge of the main panel and to the=downwardslope of the upper dge of eachend panel, the garment will as-.

surn'e slight concavity .at the-upper and" lower marginal stitched along the entire lengths of the upper edge of the main panel and of the upper downwardly sloping edges of the two end panels, a marginal strip stitched along the entire length of the lower edge of the main panel and of the lower edges of the end panels, each of said marr ginal strips being elastic longitudinally thereof and being outer end panel and'complementary slide fastenertapes' 5 extending substantially the height of the free end of the garment, one of said tapes being along the length of the outer edge of the outer end panel, the complementary tape extending substantially along the root end of the inner end panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,612,067 Shepard Dec. 28, 1926 Schopbach et al. Jan. 4, 1938 Sands Mar. 24, 1953 Stone et al. Aug. 7, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Apr. 8, 1953 

